5 Reasons to Upgrade to Ubuntu 19.04 “Disco Dingo”

On the surface, new versions of Ubuntu aren’t as big as they used to be. Like in the days before Canonical created its own Unity interface, the Ubuntu experience is now functionally similar to what you get in alternatives such as Fedora and openSUSE.

But there are a few big reasons to be eager for what Ubuntu 19.04 “Disco Dingo” has to offer, with some additions demonstrating just how nice it is to have Ubuntu desktop developers spending more time working directly on GNOME.

Look - Release - Desktop - Theme - Set

Ubuntu 18.10 was all about a new look. That release introduced a new desktop theme and a new set of icons. This was the most striking visual update to Ubuntu’s themes in over half a decade.

Ubuntu’s new icon set drew inspiration from those that appeared on Ubuntu Phones and in Unity 8. This brought the desktop a distinct look that didn’t feel complete. The icon theme used a “squircle” shape for icons, but all third-party icons kept their original shapes.

Respect - Makers - Icons - Brand - Experience

This was out of respect to app makers, whose app icons contribute to their brand and user experience. But this left a substantial contrast between most of Ubuntu’s default software and the apps you install yourself.

In 19.04, the “Yaru” theme’s icons come in different forms. Some retain a square squircle, with others are either vertical or horizontal rectangles. Some are circles. Others, like Ubuntu Software, retain their own unique shape. This variation makes themed icons fit in better alongside apps like Firefox and LibreOffice.

Apps - Situation

Can you still easily tell which apps are third-party? Yes, but the situation is better than it was.

Note: You can install the Yaru theme on the Ubuntu 18.04 long-term support release with the following command:

Theme - Login - Screen

You can then switch your theme on the login screen.

The GNOME desktop environment has supported HiDPI scaling for a number of releases,...